Systemic air embolisms have long been recognized as a complication of cardiovascular surgery. There are various procedures that are presently used to dislodge trapped air from the heart in an attempt to prevent or minimize this occurrence including manually manipulating the heart, and tipping or rotating the body of the patient. However, current procedures are time-consuming and often incomplete in removing trapped air that remains in the heart and great vessels after the surgical procedure has been completed. Trapped air can result in the development of an air embolism. The injury produced by an air embolism can vary from symptoms that are not clinically detectable to stroke or death due to a massive embolism.
Therefore, it is an object of the invention to provide a system that will prevent or minimize the occurrence of an air embolism during cardiovascular surgery. Another object is to provide a system that can be used to remove trapped air from the heart in both conventional open heart surgery and "minimally invasive" surgeries in which a small surgical incision is used.